(Closed) What do you associate with Germany / Germans? (NWR)

i was surprised to read in some topics that a lot of bees have been to germany. So for those of you who have, I’m just curious about what you thought. What did you like, what did you not like? What surprised you?

What stereotypes do you have and which ones proved right?

I really ally had to laugh out loud when a bee that was considering moving to Germany asked a bee that had lived there about the following:

“How did you find living day to day? I think in America we take a lot of things for granted- cell phones, internet, tv, fast food, shopping centers, malls, complete kitchens- cause they don’t exist all over the planet. Was it a terrible change in lifestyle between how it is here and how it is there? Or were the differences minor?”

(she admitted that it sounded funny though.)

so I guess also a question for those that have never been: what do you think the country / the people are like?

Mine and FI’s families are from there, mine more recently. I still have some family there and want to go visit but haven’t been yet. The only thing I really associate with Germany is heavy beer, BMWs, and Lutheranism. All of which I like/own/am lol maybe that’s why

I’d be lying if I didn’t say the first thing that comes to my mind about Germans/Germany are “Nazis and Hitler.” I hate that it’s that way, but we learn all about it in school here and it’s kind of our first “introduction” to Germany (or at least in my case.) I’d love love love to travel to Germany one day, it looks like a beautiful place. And the Germans that I do know are exceptionally nice, educated people. 🙂

Probably a lot like the rest of us. Only fluent in German. If pressed I’d guess they may drink more beer than some people and eat more sausagey stuff. But that’s primarly based on my experinces at German resturants.

@MsquareM: I am of German descent but have never personally been there. I think of beer, small cars, and the idea that the German language always sounds angry (in a funny way). I definitely do not think it is less advanced than the USA…

@MsquareM:“How did you find living day to day? I think in America we take a lot of things for granted- cell phones, internet, tv, fast food, shopping centers, malls, complete kitchens- cause they don’t exist all over the planet. Was it a terrible change in lifestyle between how it is here and how it is there? Or were the differences minor?”

I was once asked if we had TV in Scotland, by someone totally unaware that it was basically a Scottish invention.

Back to the original question, I’ve been to Germany. Before I went, I generally associated Germans with being completely nuts with great cars… and that didn’t really change. That possibly was aided by meeting some crazy guys with a huge keg of beer on our first night at the DTM at the Nurburgring and a visit to the Porsche museum (where they have a mirrored ceiling for watching the cars go by outside).

If I was thinking of vacationing in Germany I would be thinking beer, I know very little about Germany except that there’s good beer.

I assume that it’s like much of Europe and isn’t exactly like North America, I would expect things to be denser (smaller streets, smaller houses) but I would also assume that I would get cell service and internet access.

I’m from Newfoundland, people used to ask me (quite seriously) if we had pizza, phones, planes and busses, If I lived in an igloo, if we had schools…it’s pretty funny what people think of other cultures sometimes.

@MsquareM: I’ve travelled to Germany 3 times and would rather live there than here. Its far more civilized (things closed on Sundays, no speed limits on the highway, people are kinder), but I’m biased and think any European country is better just because its European. There’s so much history and culture there, its hard to not fall in love with the entire country.

Also, a lot of the best things come from Germany.. dope cars, great beers, and Haribo!!

@playdohpants: German doesn’t sound nearly as angry as Dutch. Dutch is a rough sounding language.

@missamysmiles: I totally agree about Berlin! I found the same thing, I was describing it to a friend and said somehow it feels rebellious and its very modern and artsy. I’d go back in a heartbeat!

Europe in general is a lot like the US in mayny ways. They have a/c, cell phones, DVD players and all other technology.

However, they live more simply. You don’t see the huge houses filled to the brim with “stuff” like you do in the US. People spend more time together socializing because sitting at home watching TV all day isn’t normal to them.

They dress up more in Europe. You don’t see people in yoga pants and flip flops at the store. You don’t see basketball shorts and tennis shoes in a restaurant. They don’t go out in clothes that can also be pj’s.

You can hitchhike there and everyone doesn’t freak out and say that you are going to be raped and murdered (yes, I hitchhiked in Germany and no, I didn’t die)

I have only been to Munich and I stayed with a local I found on couchsurfers. Other than that, I lived in Spain for two summer while in college. One summer I studied abroad and the other I had an internship in an office.